by Jordi Burton
She shielded her eyes as a figure stepped through and the portal closed. Training her crossbow, she studied him. He didn’t have the bronze dagger of a Sehirian warrior, but carried a bronze battle axe instead. Wearing boiled leather over his tunic, and thick leather boots, he was dressed more for a western or northern city, not the Sand Isles. But they could easily get him clothes. His long sandy hair and soft brown eyes were familiar, but she couldn’t figure out why.
They assessed each other in silence. Mira stepped around Dani, a curious look on her face. “You’re the warrior?”
He looked offended. “I was sent by Princess Anastasia, yes.”
“You’re so young.”
“As are you.”
Dani stifled a laugh. It was true, though. Mira was only a year older than Dani’s sixteen years, and this warrior looked only a couple of years older than her.
Turning back to the tent, Dani said to Mira, “What were you expecting, a grandfather?”
“Well, someone who could handle himself, at least.”
The young man trotted after them. “I can handle myself! I am a member of the Realm Guard—”
“Everyone is a member of the Realm Guard these days,” Mira fired back.
Entering the tent, Dani glanced around. They might need to make more room. Hers and Mira’s bedrolls sat head-to-head off to the left, while their makeshift kitchen sat off to the right. The rest of the tent was filled with provisions, mainly water. They could, perhaps, restack their sacks of food they used for bartering with the locals, but doing it the first time had taken forever with Mira’s magic mishaps.
The young man cleared his throat, tearing her from her thoughts. “You’re Dani Dinas?”
Dani nodded. Part of her wondered what he was thinking; he wore the same kind of impassive, unreadable expression William did. Did they teach all warriors to do that?
As always, thinking of William left a sour taste in her mouth. She hated leaving him when he’d been arrested. But Valdon had said it would be safer for William in the long run if she wasn’t around. Besides, it felt good to keep moving. It gave her less time to think about her mother.
“I’m Hayde Zand.” He held out his hand. “I fought alongside your brother and Chris Woodsman.”
Dani pondered this. “Zand? As in Murcy Zand, the Representative of Talrom?”
He nodded. “He’s my grandfather.”
Pursing her lips, Dani didn’t respond. After what William had told her about his time in the alternate universe with Valdon, she didn’t trust the Representative. It was strange to imagine an alternate version of Representative Zand attacking William and knocking Valdon unconscious, much less working for the Shadows.
Hayde lowered his hand. “So, Princess Anastasia did not give me much information about our quest.”
“We locate Shadow statues and mark them for removal,” Dani explained. “But most importantly, we don’t alert people to our presence. We do so to prevent the people from panicking.”
“Why would they panic?”
Mira laughed mirthlessly. “Because the first Shadow statue cracked months ago.”
“And?”
“They’ve begun to unfreeze?” Mira rolled her eyes. “Honestly, what kind of warrior are you?”
“What do you mean they’ve begun to unfreeze?” Hayde drew his battle axe and marched to the entrance of the tent. “The people should be panicking! The Shadows need to be removed as quickly as possible! We must do everything to protect the people.”
Dani chuckled, flopping down on her bedroll. Mira mirrored her, returning to her darning. Hayde stood, glancing worriedly between the two of them.
“What are you doing?”
Sighing, Dani motioned for Hayde to sit beside her. “We have our orders, warrior. Calm down.”
He frowned. “Why are you so nonchalant about this? The Shadows are returning, and we are nowhere near ready to fight them off.”
“Anastasia and the High Council have given us their orders.” She motioned for him to sit. “Do you really believe they would put us out here to do this job if they believed it to be moot? We must trust they know what they’re doing.”
“Besides,” Mira glared at Hayde, “the sooner we get the statues removed to a remote location, the safer everyone will be.”
“And the sooner we can all go home.”
Reluctantly, Hayde sat. Dani passed him a pastry, relaxing back on her elbows. He inspected it before taking a bite. When his eyes started to water, Dani sniggered. She remembered the spice well. Nearly everything in the Sand Isles was spicy, even the desserts, tinted red with the hot peppers indigenous to the islands.
Looking him over, she measured his frame with her eyes. Getting clothes would be expensive, and draw unwanted attention. His tunic would pass well enough, if they dirtied it. But his trousers and boiled leather would have to go. And he’d need a headwrap.
Thinking quickly, she grabbed an older skirt from her bag. It was too stretched out to fit her anymore. But, if she altered it…
Pulling her knife from her belt, she set to work fashioning the cloth into trousers.
“How long have you been here?” Hayde questioned.
Dani thought back, glancing at Mira. “Maybe three weeks?”
“That long?”
“We are in charge of the southwestern part of Jacqueline. Once we clear the Sand Isles, we will move inland until all Shadow statues in our area of the realm are accounted for.”
Hayde frowned. “Bit difficult for just the two of you, neither a warrior.”
Mira scoffed. “Oh, yes, because we must all be ferocious, blade-happy soldiers in order to succeed.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Taking Mira’s needle and thread, Dani interjected, “Anastasia and I grew close. She trusted me to go on this mission. Not to mention, I am less conspicuous than a group of warriors. As I said, we are to avoid a panic, but keep the people safe.”
“I wonder, then, why I am here.”
Dani shrugged. “Take off your trousers.”
“I beg your pardon?”
She held up the makeshift trousers she’d fashioned. “I need to see if these fit you.”
Looking again between her and Mira, he took the trousers and stepped outside the tent to change. Mira sniggered, lying back on her bedroll. When Hayde returned, Dani knelt in front of him, checking the waistline. Ignoring his protests, she altered the trousers to fit him. While they wouldn’t have passed for proper clothing in Sehir, it was passable in the Isles, where most clothing was worn from the sand and sun.
Before too long, the sun dipped below the horizon. Dani and Mira readied themselves, Dani strapping her crossbow on her back, and Mira tucking her hair into a headwrap. Hayde stood by, watching them with heavily-lidded eyes. It was then Dani remembered the time change between Sehir and the Sand Isles. He must’ve been exhausted.
“Why don’t you sit this one out?” she offered.
He shook himself awake, narrowing his eyes. “I’m fine. When do we leave?”
Tucking a handful of bolts into her belt, Dani stepped from the tent. Mira followed, her hands softly glowing with vibrant red magic, lighting their way.
“We tag the Shadows we’ve marked and move on, understand?” Dani asked of Hayde.
He nodded. “Understood.”
As they headed for town, she blew out a breath. “Two things you must understand about the Sand Isles, Warrior Zand: one, the nights are just as harsh as the days; and two, it is illegal for anyone to be out after dark.”
Mira’s teeth flashed through the darkness. “If we are caught, we will most certainly be imprisoned.”
“Great,” Hayde breathed. “No pressure.”
When they reached town, Dani pointed out the Shadow statue she’d noticed earlier. Mira stealthily moved across the sand, pressing her hand to the statue. When she moved away, a red stamp, the same color as her magic, pulsated.
When she rejoined them, they moved o
n to the next part of town. Dani and Hayde ran ahead, scouting the way, making sure Mira would be able to reach each statue unmolested.
Dani sighed. They’d have to move on, soon. She suspected in the next couple of days, they’d reach the northernmost part of the Sand Isles, which meant they’d need to move further inland to reach the Shadows nearing Jacqueline’s southwestern boarder. Then they’d move around the outskirts of the Fire Desert, steering clear of where the Shadow statues were being collected in the uninhabited desert.
Though tagging the statues would go faster with Hayde helping them, Dani figured travel would be slower, what with all of Hayde’s questions. Usually, Mira just muttered to herself, leaving Dani to her silence. But that silence usually meant she thought about her mother and William, which she got enough of in her nightmares. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw her mother leap in front of her, taking a crossbow bolt to the chest. Or, she watched helplessly as William was led through Sehir in chains.
Thankfully, walking through cities and sighting Shadow statues kept her mind busy enough.
Hayde cleared his throat and she started; he’d been so quiet, she’d nearly forgotten he was there. But then he opened his mouth.
“I wanted to express my apologies for what happened to your brother. He was a superior warrior.”
“He still is a superior warrior,” Dani hissed.
Hayde nodded. “Oh, of course. I didn’t mean that—”
A scream cut through the silent night. Hayde jumped, whirling around. Dani merely rolled her eyes, a groan leaning her lips.
“Not again.”
CHAPTER FOUR
A nastasia sat in her throne once again. This time, however, the room was relatively empty. Only her privy council looked up at her, their voices carrying through the room. They were short two members: her mother unable to attend due to her illness, and her uncle on a diplomatic assignment in Viire.
“We can still function without the werewolf warriors,” her father was saying.
Her Aunt Celia shook her head, her white-blond curls bouncing. “It is not about functioning, but about the fact that the wolves can now declare war on Jacqueline.”
“Or the other way around,” her Great-Uncle Bale murmured.
“But they won’t,” her father said. “They know it is not wise.”
Celia scoffed. “Since when have the werewolves ever done anything that is wise?”
“We have a much greater enemy we are fighting. Aylen and Tamo know this. They understand what we are up against.”
“And yet they withdraw from the Realm Guard.”
Leaning back, Anastasia pondered their words. What could the werewolves gain from withdrawing from the Realm Guard? What was the point? That morning, all their warriors had returned to Hullenia. But if they were not a part of the Guard, how did they plan to protect themselves from the Shadows once they unfroze from their magical encasement?
“Anastasia.”
She looked over at her Aunt Calla, a pang going through her; she looked so remarkably like Anarose. They had the same light brown hair and noble facial structure, but her eyes were the color of sapphires, not the royal violet.
“What?”
Calla raised a brow. “We were saying that you may be able to find out what the werewolves are planning.”
Anastasia frowned. “How?”
“Through your friendship with Ostana,” Celia intoned. “The two of you are very close.”
Is that how it seemed to them? She met her father’s warm brown eyes. He knew she and Ostana weren’t close, but he didn’t know the reason. She’d elected not to tell him, knowing that if he knew what Ostana had done, he’d be obliged as King of Jacqueline to arrest her. Though she detested Ostana, with a rage she hadn’t thought herself capable, she couldn’t let Ostana go to jail, not when she was pregnant with Vlad’s child.
She’d vowed, as soon as the child was born she would turn Ostana in for her crimes. She would finally face consequences for spying for the Shadows, for poisoning Anastasia to suppress her premonitions, and for the death of Aatu. But now, she couldn’t tell them what Ostana had done.
Elliot eyed Anastasia. “The Princess of the Werewolves has been living in Castavo with Sona and her family since the end of Anistes Droun. I doubt she knows much of anything about her family’s dealings.”
“All the same.” Celia rolled her eyes. “It can’t hurt to see what the girl knows.”
Looking through the windows, Anastasia gasped. She was going to be late for dinner with the princes of the realms. “Please excuse me. We can resume this tomorrow morning.”
Her family simply stared at her as she gathered her skirts and rushed from the room.
“Anastasia!”
Turning, she again met Calla’s eyes. Not for the first time, she wondered who Calla’s father was, the man her grandmother, Analie, loved more than she could ever say. She and Calla had never spoken of it, and if her aunt knew, she never said. Not surprisingly, Analie had been mum when they’d spoken of it in the alternate universe. It seemed secrets ran in their family.
Looking over her shoulder, Calla whispered, “There may be a way for you to save William Dinas.”
Anastasia blinked. “What are you talking about?”
“You love him, yes?”
She remembered when they’d fallen from the Sky Temple in the elemental realm, hidden up in the clouds: William held her gaze, his hazel eyes blazing with an emotion she couldn’t quite place. His words were torn away by the wind, but she could read his lips: I love you.
Her heart ached at the thought of him, at what she’d sentenced him to. “I do.”
“Then you can save him.” Calla glanced over her shoulder again, pulling Anastasia into an alcove around the corner. “You must make the Head Warrior Vow.”
“Excuse me?”
“As a Head Warrior, he cannot be grayed out. But he must pass the trial of the Gods and Angels.”
Calla couldn’t be serious. William would never accept becoming Head Warrior just to keep from being grayed out. He had too much honor for that. She’d already asked him to become her Head Warrior once, to keep him from being drafted to the Realm Guard, and he’d rejected her. Besides, he hadn’t participated in the original Head Warrior trials. The people wouldn’t accept him, much less the Representatives, who’d charged him with treason.
Even so, she couldn’t help but think of the William from the alternate universe, the one who excelled at his mastery examination right before he went out in a blaze of glory. She knew her William was twice the warrior he was; there was no doubt that he’d succeed at the Head Warrior trials. But she could never ask that of him.
“Do you doubt him?”
Anastasia frowned. “Never.”
“Then why do you hesitate?”
“William would not accept this way out. He would demand to prove himself worthy.”
Calla considered her words for a moment, pursing her lips. “Then we shall test him, the privy council. Who better than your family?”
“As much as I want to keep him from being grayed out, it would not be right.”
“You’re sure of your decision?”
Anastasia nodded. His breaking orders to join her in the Sky Temple in the elemental realm had been what got him into this mess. She wouldn’t put him in another predicament like that. He’d been sentenced, and he was going to go through with it this time. On that, they both agreed, no matter how much it hurt. William Dinas would be grayed out for treason.
Calla inclined her head. “Very well. You’d best get ready for this evening.”
Troubled, Anastasia hurried down the corridor. When she made it to her chambers, Lili was already waiting for her, her dinner gown draped across her knees.
“You’re late, my Princess.”
Anastasia stripped off her dress as she kicked the door closed behind her. “Yes, I know.”
As Lili helped her into her gown—a beautiful summer dress with a structur
ed bodice, decorated with swirling gold vines, and loose, flowing skirts—she thought about the night she had in front of her. She was going to have to sit through a dinner with a room full of people who either openly disliked her, or thought her responsible for the mess with the Shadows. And Niboki would be in attendance. She wondered how he would be. The last time she’d seen him had been at her wedding to his brother.
Standing in front of her looking glass, she eyed her bare arms. Had she grown up in Jacqueline, she would have a tattoo on her right bicep, a colored band that would name her the Princess and future ruler of Jacqueline, just as William had a tattooed band that named him a warrior apprentice. But she’d never received her tattoo. Yet another thing that set her apart from her people.
“You will get them, my Princess,” Lili murmured.
Anastasia sighed. “But will it be in time?”
“Tattoos will not convince people you are a strong ruler. Only you can do that.”
“But it would make it easier for them to accept me as one of their own, instead of as the girl that grew up in the human realm.” Turning from the looking glass, she met Lili’s eyes. “Would you want to join me for dinner?”
Lili smiled. “I would, but I have made plans with my family. It has been too long since we have been together.”
Anastasia nodded her understanding.
“Are you ready?”
Turning from her reflection, Anastasia murmured, “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Her guards took up their positions on either side of her as she stepped out into the hall. Lili stayed behind, offering a wave of encouragement as Anastasia made her way down to the banquet hall. Just beyond the door, she heard the murmured voices of her peers. Her stomach fluttered uneasily. Maybe inviting them all to dinner had been a rash and unwise decision. But, either way, they were here. Hopefully, she wouldn’t live to regret it.
She nodded to the servants and they opened the doors. Every eye turned to her, but, thankfully, the princes didn’t cease their conversations. Spotting Mohan at the side table, pouring himself a goblet of wine, she quickly went to him.